Equipment
Ingredients
Aromatics & Base
- 150 g yellow onion, diced
- 100 g carrots, diced
- 15 g garlic, minced
- 200 g jarred roasted red peppers, drained and chopped
Pantry Staples
- 480 g cannellini beans, rinsed and drained
- 900 ml vegetable broth, low sodium preferred
- 30 g harissa paste
- 3 g ground turmeric
- 3 g kosher salt
Finishers
- 150 g pearl couscous
- 15 g fresh parsley, finely chopped
Nutrition (per serving)
Method
Dice the onion and carrots, mince the garlic, and chop the drained roasted red peppers. Place all into the slow cooker insert.
Add the rinsed cannellini beans, vegetable broth, harissa paste, ground turmeric, and kosher salt to the slow cooker. Stir well to ensure the harissa paste dissolves completely into the broth.
Cover and cook on the LOW setting (approximately 90 C / 195 F) for 6 hours, or on HIGH for 3 hours, until the carrots and onions are completely tender and the flavors have melded.
Thirty minutes before serving, switch the slow cooker to HIGH (if using LOW) and stir in the pearl couscous. Cover and cook for the remaining 30 minutes, or until the couscous is tender but retains a slight bite.
Stir in the chopped fresh parsley just before serving. Taste and adjust seasoning with additional salt or harissa if desired. Ladle into warm bowls.
Chef's Notes
- To maximize the plan-ahead potential, you can chop all vegetables and measure the spices into the slow cooker insert the night before. Store the insert in the refrigerator, then simply pour in the broth and turn it on in the morning.
- Harissa pastes vary wildly in heat level. If serving a spicy brand to children or sensitive palates, halve the harissa amount and serve extra on the side.
- Using canned beans makes this a safe and rapid weeknight meal. If substituting dry cannellini beans, you MUST rapid-boil them for 10 minutes on the stove before adding them to the slow cooker to destroy the natural PHA toxins present in raw beans.
- For extra depth, toast the dry pearl couscous in a dry skillet for 3 minutes until lightly golden before adding it to the slow cooker.
Storage
Refrigerator: 4 days — Couscous will continue to absorb broth; add a splash of water when reheating.
Freezer: 3 months — Texture of pearl couscous may soften slightly upon thawing.
Reheating: Warm gently on the stove or in the microwave, adding 30-50ml of water or broth to loosen.
